A former president of the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN), Solomon Ogba, has commended World Athletics for rejecting the request by Nigerian sprinter Favour Ofili to switch allegiance to Türkiye.
World Athletics, through its Nationality Review Panel, turned down Ofili’s application on Thursday, ruling that approving the move would undermine the integrity of international competitions and encourage the systematic recruitment of athletes for national representation.
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Reacting to the decision, Mr Ogba described it as a victory for fairness and a strong statement in support of developing countries that invest heavily in nurturing talent.
“I want to specially thank the president of World Athletics, Sebastian Coe, a true friend of developing countries, members of the panel and the World Athletics family for standing with the truth. How can a country give an athlete the opportunity for his or her talent to blossom from primary school, to secondary school and to the collegiate level, then a country that doesn’t believe in the athlete when he or she is just a potential, come with bags full of money and snatch the athlete, it’s unfair, its unjust and should be discouraged,” he said.
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The panel noted that granting the request would conflict with key principles aimed at protecting the credibility of national competitions, including the Olympics and World Championships.
Ofili’s case was one of 11 applications submitted by the Türkiye Athletics Federation. World Athletics said the requests were linked to a broader recruitment drive aimed at strengthening the country’s team ahead of the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.
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Despite reportedly obtaining Turkish citizenship and securing a club contract, Ofili remains ineligible to represent Türkiye in major international competitions.
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Mr Ogba also urged athletes to remain committed to their countries and to think beyond short-term gains.
“Usain Bolt did not need to change allegiance before he became one of the very best in athletics, Julien Alfred did not dump Saint Lucia, Eliud Kipchoge is the greatest marathoner of all time, he is still wearing the colours of Kenya,” he said.
He warned athletes against external pressures and advised them to consider long-term opportunities at home, noting that many who switch allegiance often return seeking support after their careers.
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